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The abundance of resources available on the Web requires a new level of discipline. After nearly 30 years in the ministry, the Rev. G. Lee Ramsey Jr. knows writing sermons week after week isn’t easy. It’s not so much writers’ block, he says. The hard part is creating a focused sermon that gives the congregation something to chew on.

Feature

Knowing that many of our visitors are in the midst of Thanksgiving worship planning, we searched our affiliate group sites for great resources and articles for worship and sermon topics. We hope these links to resources will stimulate your own creative thinking and generate fresh Thanksgiving worship ideas this season.

Great Faith Hand in Hand with Great Sleep, Says Study

A strong faith could be the key to a good night’s sleep, according to a study released this week in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Researchers found that those who believe in salvation and feel they have an unshakable relationship with God tend to sleep longer, fall asleep faster and feel more rested in the morning, according to Terrence D. Hill, associate professor at the University of Arizona School of Sociology. [Read more at SpokaneFavs].

Making Improvements at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge

Big Oaks Conservation Society officials have invested in the future of Ripley County by establishing an endowment fund with the Ripley County Community Foundation. They chose the foundation’s annual Day of Giving matching event to start this fund because they received a 50 percent match on their donation from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT VII matching funds program, according to RCCF executive director Amy Streator. [Read more].

On Being On Wisdom of Young Adulthood

Krista talks about how the wisdom of young adulthood is in that “sense of urgency about what is possible.” It’s a way of looking at time that invests faith in singular and discrete events — the chance conversation that changes your life or the book that inspires in you new purpose, but also the bad day that feels like the end of the world and the disagreement that feels more like a chasm.

Volunteer Shortage Affects Church Food Programs

Joe and Judy Nesbit spent Tuesday afternoon taking stock of hundreds of food items filling the shelves of the Seventh-day Adventist Community Center in Longview, Washington.

The couple are preparing for the center’s last food distribution day Dec. 31 before closing the program because they can’t find anyone to replace their volunteer effort. It is a problem nonprofits here and across the nation are facing: They are finding it hard to replace the corps of aging volunteers who make their work possible.

Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation

The Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. announced the project Wednesday as one of nearly $49 million in grants for wide-ranging work under the initiative Strengthening Indianapolis Through Arts and Cultural Innovation. That initiative supports efforts to beautify public places, revitalize historic landmarks, and increase access to the arts.

Answering A Call For Help

Anyone who belongs to a large, extended family network that includes people living in poverty knows about that phone call. A member of the family needs help; whatever else is happening, it’s not acceptable to ignore the cry. It is the responsibility of every member of the family “not to hide yourself from your own kin.” We are taught from birth that we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. {Read more from Fuller Studio].